Hello! I have welcomed my new Anatolian Shepherd puppy to our home almost 2 months ago. He will be 4 months old in June. I must say that he's hands down one of the most incredibly intelligent breeds of puppy(dog) I've ever owned and have experienced. He's a blessing for me and the absolute joy of my life. My question is if anyone can tell by looking at his pictures if he does in fact look to be pure Anatolian Shepherd or look to be maybe more of a mix? The person which whom I got him from says he's indeed pure Anatolian but I am slightly skeptical only due to the vague information recieved regarding his background/history. Despite asking, I've yet to see even a picture of his parents...He did come with "puppy papers" from NAPR stating he's Anatolian Shepherd dog, along with both his parents though I'm unsure of the legitimacy of this registration company.. While researching on-line, I came across the Akbash dog. Wondering if anyone personally knows anything about the Akbash? The similarities and differences with the Anatolian? My pup seems to resemble the Akbash too.. Anyone and everyone's feedback, input, opinion and/or any information would be greatly appreciated. Thanks all!
He is a cute pup but I thought that a feature of the Anatolian was its black mask. I am in the UK but I have never heard of the NAPR. The AKC run the only reliable registration system as the data is linked to that of previous generations. Has anyone suggested a Maremma? That would be my best guess, but really there is no way of telling the breeding of your puppy just by looking at a photo. If his breeding is important to you, I would have a dna test done.
I agree with @CaroleC Anatolians are normally a slightly darker tan with a black mask. As for Akbash, I think that is highly unlikely as it is not a common breed at all. If it were an Akbash, the seller would have said so as the rarity would increase the value over calling it an Anatolian. NAPR is NOT a true registration like the kennel clubs. I could send in $20 with the application stating my name as the breeder, made up names of the parent dogs, and state my mix is a purebred. They do not require any proof that any of this info is true. They do not even require a photo of the dog to see if it even looks like the breed claimed. This is NOT a reputable registration. I suspect your puppy is a mix, a cute mix, so I'll offer the following. Some things about mixed breeds: 1. Outside of "designer dogs", most mixes have at least three breeds in them. Often more. 2. Not every breed in the mix will present itself physically. So while the dog may not look at all like a poodle, he may have poodle in his makeup. Same for temperament and behavior. The smaller the amount of a breed, the less likely you'll "see" it in the dog. 3. When breeds mix, they do weird things. The physical traits from each breed may combine to create something different. A large dog may have small dog dna - he just got his size from a large breed in the mix, or visa versa. A dog may get her body shape from a lab and her legs from a bassett. Or a dog may get her ears from a beagle and her muzzle shape from a pug and her tail from an akita. With all that, the most accurate way of determining the breeds is to do a dna test. Embark and Wisdom Panel are good. For dogs here in North America, a less expensive test is dnamydog. It doesn't test for breeds that are rare in North America and they don't do health testing, so the cost is lower. They only test for common AKC registered breeds, so they don't test for APBT or Pharoah Hound, etc. They also don't test for "pit bull" as it is not really a breed in itself. They do test for staffordshire, etc. that have been used to create "pit bulls". I've used them on my past three dogs and have been very satisfied with the results. From the photos, I don't see anything that is truly representative of any breed. If I had to hazzard a guess, I would say a lab mix due to the coloring. He could be a lab/shepherd mix. I had one and she was mostly white with a yellowish streak down her back (physically not psychologically). Your baby is similar with the yellowish coloring showing on the ears. But that is just a major guess.
Thank you for your response! From what I've gathered the single black face with the tan color body is actually considered to be the Kangal, where as the Anatolian comes in a few different color variations. Which does include the black face/tan body and also a solid white. And from my research, I've read there's several characteristic differences in the Kangal and the Anatolian Shepherd, although they're both definitely considered to be LSG dogs that originate many years from the homeland of Turkey. I've never heard of a Maremma and will look it up now. Do you have any suggestions or recommendations on any honest, accurate and reliable DNA testing companies I could try? Thanks again so much for taking the time to respond ☺️
There are several companies that will do a basic breed check. Wisdom Panel are pretty good, and quite a quick return. See what @Toedtoes recommends, - she has had her dogs breed checked, I have only used it once for that purpose. My girls were dna tested but for specific health conditions, not for breed. I think you might be better using the Wisdom3 rather than the Wisdom2 as these are not common breeds and you might be better with the larger database. I have had a quick look on their page - they list the Akbash and the Anatolian Shepherd, but I drew a blank when I looked up the Kangal. Whatever company you decide on, check that they cover the Turkish breeds. A lot of people use Embark. It is dearer but it will give you more information. I have never used it myself, but the reports I have been shown included colour inheritance and certain heath traits.
Thank you!!! The info you've given about mix breeds is awesome and greatly appreciated!! Makes sense! I'm definitely going to have my boy DNA tested as I'm super curious and have a huge desire to want to know what he's made of!! Thank you for providing recommend and reputable DNA companies also as I was definitely going to inquire on where to start with that as well! I sincerely appreciate your time in taking to read my post from the beginning and for taking the time to reach out with your knowledgeable, helpful info as well. Good info!! very much appreciated!
Know that dnamydog does not test for any of the Turkish breeds. Embark only tests for the Anatolian. Wisdom Panel only tests for the Akbash and Anatolian. So, all three tests will be somewhat limiting. However, this also means that these breeds are not common enough to be seen in mixed breed dogs and are unlikely to be bred casually without registrations under one of the various clubs. Only the Anatolian is recognized by the AKC. The Anatolian, Akbash, and Kangal are recognized by the UKC (the Karabash is considered a Kangal). There are also the Akbash and Karabash clubs of America. So, someone breeding these dogs is most likely going to be part of one of these clubs and will abide by their code of conduct regarding breeding. All this is a huge clue that it is extremely unlikely for someone to be breeding these dogs here in the States and selling it as an Anatolian using NAPR paperwork. And it is even more unlikely that they would be selling one of the other Turkish breeds as an Anatolian as they are even less common here in the states, and therefore would provide a "rarity" reason to increase the sale price (ie, an Anatolian puppy sells for $1,000, but this is a much rarer Karabash so I am selling him for $3000).
